Building heating and cooling system



L. J. SMlTH BUILDING HEATING AND COOLING SYSTEM Oct; 28, 1958 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed NOV. 10, 1954 Oct. 28, 1958 L. J. SMITH BUILDING HEATING AND COOLING SYSTEM 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Condenser 601 1 [hr crab)" (ail Filed Nov. 10, 1954 jz/m zr. 46a a nzrz cefimif/b.

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United States Patent BUILDING HEATING AND COOLING SYSTEM Lawrence J.. Smith, ()ak Park, 111., assignor to Bell & Gossett Company, Morton Grove, 111., a corporation of Illinois Application November 10, 1954, Serial No. 468,069 10 Claims. (Cl. 237-49) My invention relates to building heating and cooling systems and more particularly to those which incorporate base board structures for conveying heated or cooled air to room spaces, plus a capacity for supplying tempered fresh. air under a heating condition.

In the conventional base board, heating system, convect'or or radiating units are positioned behind the base board in appropriate locations relative to the spaces to be heated and are pipe connected to a hot water boiler with the usual controls for determining hot water flow through the system. The base board includes suitable top and bottom openings for insuring a convection fiow of room air over the convectors. An arrangement of this character provides adequate heating, but makes no provision. for adding fresh, tempered air under controlled conditions to the heated space to revitalize the relatively used air therein. Further, such base board systems do not incorporate any means for supplying cooled air to the room spaces during the summer season.

It is therefore one object of my invention to provide a system for buildings including base board structures for the room spaces which are arranged to selectively supply to such spaces heated air with or without the admixture of fresh, tempered air during the heating season, or cooled air under selective room control, if desired, during the summer season.

A further object is to provide a base board structure for such a system incorporating twin related heating and cooling ducts which may be arranged in either stacked or side-by-side relation, marketed singly or as a composite unit, and which may be sized to meet the aesthetic requirements of a living space.

A further object is to provide a twin duct, base board structure in which the duct that supplies cooled air during the summer seasonis positioned in heat exchange relation to the warm air duct and hence may be used to supply fresh, tempered air during the heating season.

These and further objects of the invention will be set forth in the following specification, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and the novel means by which the objects are eflectuated will be definitely pointed out in the claims.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a diagrammatic, isometric view of a building system incorporating the invention.

Fig. 2 is an enlarged, isometric view, partly in section, of part of the base board structure shown in Fig. 1.

Figs. 3 and 4 are sections along the line 3-3 in Fig. 1 schematically showing a conventional, window cooling unit in different controlling positions.

Figs. 5 to 9, inclusive, are transverse sections showing variant forms of base board structures.

Referring to Figs. 1 and 2, the numeral designates a conventional hot water boiler which is fired and controlled by the usual means (not shown) and which may be located in the basement of a building having a foundation wall 11 as shown, the building being preferably 2,858,077 Patented Oct. 28, 1 958 room space to be serviced.

The boiler 10' circulatingly connects through piping 12, which may also include a pump 13, with a plurality of finned convectors. 14 (see Fig. 2) which are appropriately spaced around the room space and supported and enclosed in the lower part of a base board structure generally indicated by the numeral 15. However, the pump 13 may be omitted. and circulation through the heating system is then. of the thermogravitational type. For convenience, the convectors 14 are shown as being series connected, but any of the conventional arrangements may be employed, such as the so-called one-pipe system using fittings shown in U. S. Letters Patent No. 2,191,724, or separate supply and return pipes.

Specifically, the base board structure 15 includes a footing 16. which rests on the floor of the room, a vertiwardly curved to provide a gutter 21 and it will be noted that the walls 18, I9, 20 and the included part of the wall 17 define a duct 22 positioned above the convectors 14, allfor purposes presently explained. From the foregoing, it will be apparent that the base board structure 15', as so far described, may be economically bent and shaped out of sheet metal of suitable gage and preferably as thin as structural necessities require.

Within the base board structure 15, the piping 23' which connects the convectors 14 is supported by a plurality of brackets 24 attached to the wall 17, only one of. the brackets being shown in Fig. 2. The forward portions of the brackets 24 support a shield 25 which extends lengthwise of the base board structure 15 in spaced relation to the convectors 14 which are also spaced from the footing 16 and the walls 17 and 20. The lower and upper edges of the shield 25 are vertically spaced from the footing 16 and the wall 19 to define longitudinal, inlet and outlet openings 26 and 27, all respectively. v

During the heating season, when hot water courses through the convectors 14 in response to the demand of the well known space controls (not shown), a convection flow of air is Set upacross the convectors 14 through the inlet and outlet openings 26 and 27 to thereby heat the room.

So far as described, the heating operation generally follows standard practice, but means are additionally provided for supplying tempered fresh air during the heating season and cool air during the summer season. The base board structure 15 accommodates either form of operation.

Referring. to Fig. 1, a cooling unit 28 extends through an opening in the foundation wall 11 normally occupied by a basement window, or it may be located in other outside wall positions, including an attic.

In Fig. 3, the cooling unit 28 is schematically shown as taking the form of a well known commercial type of window cooler which is modified as presently described. The unit 28 includes a casing 29 which extends through the basement wall 11 so that portions thereof extend outwardly and inward-1y thereof. Adjacent the outer or inlet end of the casing 29, a condenser coil 30 is mounted therein and across which atmospheric air may flow into the casing 29. An evaporator coil 31 is mounted within the inner end of the casing 28 and it will be understood that these coils are linked in a refrigeration system which additionally includes a compressor, expansion valve and control, none of the latter being shown. The inner end of the casing 29 communicates through a pipe 32 (see Figs. 1, 2 and 3) with the duct 22.

Within the casing 29, a wall 33 extends upwardly from the bottom and terminates short of the top thereof to provide a port 34 between the coils 30 and 31, and another port 35 is provided in the top Wall of the casing on the basement side of the wall 11. A shutter 36 is pivoted within the casing 29 in operative relation to the ports 34 and 35, i. e., the shutter may close either port and leave the other open, or it may occupy an intermediate position-as shown in Fig. 3. In the latter event, air from the basement may be mixed with atmospheric air flowing across the condenser coil 30 for delivery to the pipe 32. The shutter 36 may be manually or otherwise controlled. Flow through the casing 29 in a direction towards the pipe 32 is established by a motor driven fan 37 positioned between the evaporator coil 31 and pipe 32 and in the opposite direction by a motor driven fan 38 located between the wall 33 and condenser coil 30. Operation of these fans may be controlled by suitable switches in the space being serviced and the shutter 36 may be likewise controlled from the same location. Since the commercial type of window cooler is designed to normally discharge cooled air directly into a room, it will ordinarily be necessary to provide the fan 37 with sufficient capacity to insure a pumped supply through the duct 22. This added capacity will vary with the size and length of the duct.

During the heating season, the cooling unit 28 is out of operation and heat is supplied by the boiler 10 to the room space through the convectors 14 in the usual manner. If the air in the room or rooms becomes stagnant or contaminated by smoke or cooking odors, fresh, tempered air may be supplied by the following instrumentalities. The shutter 36 is rocked to close the opening 35 and the fan 37 is started to draw atmospheric air across the condenser coil 30 for delivery to the pipe 32 and thence to the duct 22. Since this duct is in heat exchange relation to the duct 39 in which the convectors 14 and pipe 23 are located, air flowing through the duct 22 will be preheated for delivery through openings 40 (see Fig. in the wall 19 which register with louvres 41 that open into the room and are formed in a plate 42 whose upper portion abuts and is fastened to the wall 19 as a partial support for the duct 22 and whose lower end is flanged to rest on the footing 16. The shutter 36 may also be rocked to some intermediate position, as in Fig. 3, wherein the air moving to the duct 22 is a mixture of fresh air and air that has leaked from the room space to the basement.

Instead of pumping fresh air into the room, an alternative arrangement would consist in stopping the fan 37 and starting the fan 38. The room air is then drawn through the louvres 41 into the duct 22 and thence through the pipe 32 and casing 29 to the atmosphere as indicated by the arrows in Fig. 4, the shutter 36 preferably occupying the position shown in Fig. 4. This pres sure exhausting enables fresh air to enter the room by leakage around doors and windows.

During the summer season, the boiler is either out of operation or controlled so that hot water does not flow to the convectors 14, and the cooling unit 28 is placed in operation. With the fan 37 running and the shutter 36 in the position shown in Fig. 4, for example, atmospheric air drawn through the casing 29 is chilled by flow over the evaporator coil 31 before delivery through the pipe 32 and duct 22 to the room space. Control of air moving across the coil 31 may be exercised by the shutter 36 so that air moving to the pipe 32 is a mixture of atmospheric air and possibly slightly cooler air flowing through the port 35 that may be leaked or piped to the basement from the room space. The shutter 36 may also close the port 34 and, in this event, air is recirculated through the duct 22, room space and the cooling unit 28.

If condensate is formed on the chilled external surfaces of the duct 22, such as may occur when the humidity in the room space rises due to the opening of doors or windows, it is contemplated that, under normal conditions, it will be sufficiently small in amount as to cling to and flow downwardly along the wall 19 and thence along the underside of the wall for collection in the gutter 21. The latter may be tapped by one or more pipes 43 at convenient intervals for conveying the condensate to a suitable drain (not shown).

The cooling unit 28 is intended to exemplify any means for cooling the air under the control conditions outlined and is not restricted to a refrigeration unit as such. For example, deep well water might be passed through a cooling coil and thereafter wasted.

In Fig. 5 is illustrated a modification of the base board structure 15 shown in Fig. 2 wherein like parts are identified by like numerals. It consists in a means for controlling either the flow of tempered or cooled air from the duct 22 into an associated room space. A conventional, adjustable grill 44 having louvres 45 is slidably mounted on the plate 42 so that the grill 44 may occupy any desired flow relation to the registering openings 40 in the wall 19 and the openings 46 in the plate 42, including complete stoppage of air flow. One or more such adjustable grills 44 would be provided for each room depending upon size and flow thereto could then be con trolled and balanced as between several rooms.

A variant form of control on air flow from the duct 22 is illustrated in Fig. 6 wherein the top wall 18 thereof is apertured at 47 to enable tempered or cooled air to flow upwardly into an enclosure 48 that rests on the wall 18, one or more such enclosures being provided for each room. Suitably mounted within each enclosure 48 is a motor driven fan 49 whose delivery flows through an inclined grill 50 forming one wall of the enclosure. Each of the openings in the grill 50 are normally closed by a gravity biased damper 51 pivoted on the grill and being sufficiently light in weight to be raised by the air delivery of the fan 49. The dampers 51 may each include a stop finger 52 for limiting opening thereof. The speed of the fan 49 and its starting and stopping can be regulated by conventional controls forming no part of this invention and its capacity is less than that of the main fan 37 as will be readily understood.

Instead of making the base board structure 15 in the manner shown in Fig. 2, i. e., for installation as a unit, it could be manufactured as a two unit device designated generally by the numeral 53 in Fig. 7. The latter would include a base duct 54 generally similar to the duct 39 in Fig. 2 and including the convector units 23 for heating the space. Resting on the top of and in heat exchange relation to the duct 54 is the tempering and cooling duct 55, corresponding to the duct 22, which communicates through ports 56 with the room. This arrangement enables the ducts 54 and to be simultaneously installed to provide a base board structure functionally equivalent to the structure 15, while being sufficiently flexible to enable the installation of the heating duct 54 at one time and of the duct 55 at a later date.

The invention is not limited to the use of finned heating units, but may also include the conventional cast iron radiator, one form being shown in Fig. 8. The base board structure 57 includes a tempering or cooling duct 58, suitably held in abutting relation to the room wall and corresponding in function to the duct 22, which communicates with the room through one or more ports 59 in the top wall thereof. In side by side relation to the duct 58 and in heat exchange relation thereto is a cast iron radiator 60 conventionally connected to the boiler 10 and spaced from the floor 61 and from the duct 58 to provide for air flow upwardly between the radiator and duct and outwardly above the radiator into the room for convection heating thereof.

In Fig. 9 is illustrated a modification of Fig. 8 wherein the base board structure 62 includes a duct 63 which rests on the floor 61 and would be connected to the cooling unit 28. Positioned above the duct 63 is a cast iron radiator 64 that is spaced from the room wall and duct. During the heating season, the room is heated by air flowing between the duct 63 and the lower part of the radiator 64 and thence upwardly between the radiator and room wall and into the room. Air flowing through the duct 63, supplied by the fan 37 as described above, passes through one or more ports 65 in the top wall of the duct which register with the space between the radiator 64 and room wall and is preheated before moving into the room. In the summer, with no heat in the radiator 64, air cooled as above described flows through the ports 65 into the room.

I claim:

1. In a building heating system, the combination of a base board structure including a heating unit positioned for convection heating of the space to be serviced, and duct means in heat exchange relation to the heating unit and through which atmospheric air is adapted to flow by convection, the duct means having an opening for independently communicating with the space, and means for establishing a flow of air through said opening independently of the convection flow of air.

2. In a building heating system, the combination of a base board structure including juxtaposed ducts, one of the ducts including a heating unit and openings through which air in the space being serviced convectionally flows to heat the space and the other duct being in heat exchange relation to said one duct and independently communicating, respectively, with the space and the atmosphere, and means for establishing a flow of air through the last named duct.

3. In a building heating system, the combination of a base board structure including stacked ducts, the lower duct including a heating unit and openings through which air in the space being serviced convectionally flows to heat the space and the upper duct being in heat exchange relation to the lower duct and independently communicating, respectively, with the space and the atmosphere, and

means for establishing a flow of air through the upper duct.

4. In a building heating system, the combination of a base board structure including stacked ducts, the lower duct including a heating unit and openings through which air in the space being serviced convectionally flows to heat the space and the upper duct being in heat exchange relation to the lower duct and independently communicating, respectively, with the space and the atmosphere, means for establishing a flow of air through the upper duct, and means for regulating the flow of air from the upper duct to the space.

5. In a building heating system, the combination of a base board structure including stacked ducts, the lower duct including a heating unit and openings through which air in the space being serviced convectionally flows to heat the space and the upper duct being in heat exchange relation to the lower duct and independently communicating, respectively, with the space and the atmosphere, means for establishing a flow of air through the upper duct, and an adjustable grill for regulating the flow of air from the upper duct to the space.

6. In a building heating system, the combination of a base board structure including stacked ducts, the lower duct including a heating unit and openings through which air in the space being serviced convectionally flows to heat the space and the upper duct being in heat exchange relation to the lower duct and independently communicating, respectively, with the space and the atmosphere, means for establishing a flow of air through the upper duct, a gravity biased damper normally closing the communication between the upper duct and space, and fan means whose air delivery opens the damper.

7. A base board structure for a room comprising a. sheet metal member having a foot for resting on the floor, a vertical wall adapted to abut the adjacent room wall and a duct spaced above the foot and communicating, respectively, with the room and the atmosphere, heating unit, support brackets carried by the vertical wall beneath the duct, and a shield extending lengthwise of the member and supported by the brackets, the upper and lower edges of the shield being spaced from the duct and foot, respectively.

8. In a building heating system, the combination of a base board structure including juxtaposed ducts, one of the ducts including a heating unit and openings through which air in the space being serviced convectionally flows to heat the space and the other duct being in heat exchange relation to said one duct and independently communicating with the space, and means for establishing a flow of air through the last named duct including a casing communicating, respectively, with the last named duct and the atmosphere and fan means in the casing.

9. In a building heating system, the combination of a base board structure including juxtaposed ducts, one of the ducts including a heating unit and openings through which air in the space being serviced convectionally flows to heat the space and the other duct being in heat exchange relation to said one duct and independently communicating with the space, and means for establishing a flow of air through the last named duct including a casing communicating, respectively, with the last named duct and the atmosphere, fan means in the casing, and shutter means in the casing for regulating the flow of atmospheric air.

10. In a building heating system, the combination of a base board structure including juxtaposed ducts, one of the ducts including a heating unit and openings through which air in the space being serviced convectionally flows to heat the space and the other duct being in heat exchange relation to said one duct and independently communicating with the space, and means for establishing a flow of air through the last named duct including a casing communicating, respectively, with the last named duct and the atmosphere and having an opening connecting with the interior of the building, fan means in the casing, and shutter means in the casing adjustable to regulate the amount of building air recirculated through the casing opening and the amount of atmospheric air.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,941,425 Young Dec. 26, 1933 2,032,692 Foss Mar. 3, 1936 2,269,578 Buti Jan. 13, 1942 2,290,985 McElgin July 28, 1942 2,348,127 Grimes May 2, 1944 2,633,070 Gillham Mar. 31, 1953 2,651,504 Gundrum Sept. 8, 1953 

